Winifred (Wini) Geddes, Ngāti Awa, Ngaitai ki Tōrere, Ngāpuhi, is a director of Tāne Mahuta Aotearoa NZ Ltd, a whānau-owned company envisioned to train, qualify and employ rangatahi to work on their own whenua. With the Kaupapa Māori LWYE™ Learn While You Earn industry-based training model, the tauira (cadet) not only gain qualifications, operational and organisational skills leading to management, but also access to in-house Kaihautū Pastoral Care service, health advocacy and a Drug Testing and Rehabilitation Unit (DTRU) for the workplace. Visit www.tanemahuta.org.nz website. She is also director of Tū Ora (NZ) Ltd, which operates whare-māire providing bi-cultural clinical health services, psycho-social advocacy. DTRU and training in the caring professions.

Wini holds a number of governance positions including two Workforce Development Councils, a Mataatua District Māori Council delegate to the NZ Māori Council, Chair of the Whakatāne Māori Committee, President of Pūtauaki Māori Women’s Welfare League and Trustee to Iritana Hoāni Nuku Ahu Whenua Trust. In an advisory and support role, Wini has recently accepted firstly, the Resilience to Nature’s Challenges (RNC) – a rural research programme that supports outreach to policy and practice leadership that enables resilient outcomes for rural Aotearoa; developing an integrated framework for assessing resilience to natural hazards in consideration of climate change, environmental recovery, rural value chain impacts, intervention tools/resources and marae resilience. Secondly, not only as a Massey University Master of Science student, but also supporter of Te Toi Whakaruruhau o Aotearoa, an EQC funded centre for Mātauranga Māori Research Excellence encouraging innovative research across science and social disciplines, building Māori research workforce capability in the fields of earth science, hazards, emergency management, disaster risk reduction governance, recovery and resilience.

Nō reira, he hōnore ahau ki te āta ara pai mō ngā mokopuna a meāke nei.